2022 Trend Recap

Audrey Branson, Co-Editor|January 26, 2023

New year, new trends. Are we going to leave the trends of 2022 behind, or bring them with us into 2023? Before we decide, let’s look at 22 trends from 2022:

  1. Corset Tops
  2. It’s Corn!
  3. Wednesday
  4. Core Memories
  5. Denim on Denim
  6. New York Times’ Wordle
  7. Low-rise Pants
  8. BeReal
  9. Top Gun: Maverick
  10. She’s a 10 but…
  11. Chunky Loafers
  12. Charcuterie Boards
  13. Euphoria Sundays
  14. Slick-back Hair
  15. Over sized, over sized, and more over sized 
  16. Taylor Swift’s Midnights
  17. Claw Clips
  18. Matcha
  19. Build-a-Bear
  20. Stranger Things 4
  21. Little Miss./Little Mr.
  22. S-I-M-P: Squirrels in my Pants

Trends are a reflection of the social aspect of our culture, but can change depending on where you go. We are also widely influenced by past eras. For example, corset tops and the y2k style was trending last year, but both trends started to get popular a while ago, went out of style, and then came back into style again recently. 

But, if you look behind the scenes of why these trends actually happen, the economy is a huge factor. Not only supply and demand affects how long a trend will be a thing, but also how companies will market their products. Since DreamWorks decided to market their new Minions: Rise of Gru movie towards the Gen Z audience, it started to trend on TikTok for a couple months. With that marketing decision, they made a lot of money because they started a trend. People went to watch the Despicable Me prequel in their most formal attire. 

Social media also widely influences how people perceive trends. If they see their favorite influencer using the Tarte Shape Tape, then they might buy that product, and the trend could spread. There also have been a lot of TikTok trends over the past year, like the “It’s Corn” kid or the Wednesday dance. Not only does social media shape what we are watching or what trends we are participating in, but also our vocabulary. Words like “slay” or “bussin” became popular due to social media and how widespread something can be in a matter of minutes using social media. 

What trends do you want to bring with you into 2023?